Bike for my daughter

[limewave]

My daughter is just 16 months but she loves cycling. Especially when I sit her on my saddle and push her around the driveway. So, I was thinking of getting her this bike. I'd directly be going against DH who thinks its too much money and that Sage is too little . . .
What do you ladies think?

[bouncybouncy]

you are NEVER too young or too small to ride a bike!!!!!!

[Jo-n-NY]

On No....as long as she is walking she is not too little. Mine began with that, then went to a 12 inch with trainers and that is when she can actually learn to ride a 2 wheeler. My son did at 3yrs.

She may need blocks on the pedals and walk the bike at first until she understands the concept of turning the pedals.

[susiej]

I'd directly be going against DH who thinks its too much money and that Sage is too little . . .
What do you ladies think?

Can you get it used? Can you argue she is the first of many children who will use it? Can you get the grandparents to subsidize, and then pass it on to the other grandchildren?

My son has been in love with his tricycle since he was 18 months, even though his feet don't reach the pedals. They want to do what we do, and Mommy bikes (more than Daddy right now ). You're teaching her that being active is fun -- which will be handy when you want her to mow the lawn or rake leaves.

(Is that your daughter in your avatar? What a sweetie!)

[7rider]

A mini-Giant! In T-mobile colors, too! Way too cute.
Can she hold her head upright and move around comfortably with a helmet on her noggin?
I understand that 16 mos. is about right to start 'em - at least that's in trailers.

[limewave]

You gals are right. I'm going to leave work early, pick up Sage and head to the LBS so she can test ride it. They have the 10" in stock. Sage will LOVE it. And she will probably walk it around for a while. I'll just tell DH that the Easter Bunny hopped by early this year

[li10up]

Ok, I'll be the dissenting opinion. She will grow up SO fast. Wouldn't it be more reasonable to buy a tricycle at WalMart or Target, etc.? You can hold off on the more expensive bike for when she can truly appreciate it. Just my opinion.

[limewave]

Ok, I'll be the dissenting opinion. She will grow up SO fast. Wouldn't it be more reasonable to buy a tricycle at WalMart or Target, etc.? You can hold off on the more expensive bike for when she can truly appreciate it. Just my opinion.

Oh you are responsible. I'm a little spend-happy right now because we just decided to not make a major purchase. Even though we didn't have the money to make that major purchase to begin with, I feel like we can afford to buy a bunch of less-expensive stuff because we won't have that payment. I know, it doesn't make sense. You know, I really loved my big wheels when I was a kid and those are only $30. I could check those out too.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have to agree with Li10up. Kids that age grow so FAST. It might be better to buy two cheaper cycles within a few years, and have them each fit her well as she grows, than having one expensive one that she outgrows quickly. She's too little to understand anything about brands anyway. What does she care whether it's a Giant brand or some other brand (as long as it has handlebar streamers, etc) ? I imagine there are plenty of lovely bikes that will work just fine for her at less than half the price. That's my two cents- not worth a heck of a lot but you asked for it.

[bike4ever]

There still is a major difference between the quality of the Lil' Giant trike and any Walmart/Target bike. The Lil' Giant trike will hold together for years and should retain a very decent resale value. The department store bikes have many plastic parts in major locations (headsets, seat collars, and bottom brackets) which can not be repaired without spending more than originally purchased on the bike.

Also please remember that the department store bikes are rarely built correctly which makes them very unsafe to ride. Would you want a child on a bike without a properly installed stem?

[limewave]

lots of good things to think about . . .

[mimitabby]

my kids rode their hot wheels into the ground, and loved them. They made a pleasing racket (to their ears, not mine) although I am of the opinion that your Giant is a cool bike, to your daughter, anything that she can sit on and push around will be just GRAND!

So get her a bike! and have fun... if buying a cheaper bike keeps peace in the family, even better.

[bouncybouncy]

I do not have kids and do not think I am any expert in the field...but considering we had a .89:1 child under 10yrs to adult ratio at our wedding...I have been around my share of wee ones!

with that said...my $0.02 on quality:
You know your child, how rough she is on products. You or your DH are mechanically inclined enough to keep your own machines in working order. So if you do go with a cheaper version of the trike to save some money and you care for the trike with quality control inspections now and again...nothing should be a problem. If you feel you have a little animal on your hands that may require higher quality toys you will make that judgement.

I for a fact remember my brothers big-wheels always falling apart, wheels mysteriously forming holes in them, bikes that never held up to be handed down (lucky me!)...as for me, I am still wearing shoes that i had in high school (uh...that'd be over 20 years ago) and if I were still 4 feet tall I might still be riding my first pink mtbike...not to say I do not ride hard, I am just not hard on my toys.

Good Luck and happy shopping!

[xeney]

Oh, get the Giant tricycle. Those tricycles are fantastic. I swear the only reason my husband came around on the issue of kids was that he wanted an excuse to buy one of those tricycles ... and in fact he's worried that they will discontinue them before we are ready to buy one!

I pushed my niece around on a department store tricycle and it was pretty awful, all off-balance and hard to pedal. The Giants are so much better, and they are not super expensive at all. They are sturdy and are going to have resale value very much like the old red tricycles we had as kids did.

Buy the Giant!

Edited because I left out a crucial "not."

And again for an actual price comparison: this Target trike is $70. At our LBS, the Giant is $80. It's a no-brainer, if you ask me.

[doc]

My daughters, ages 8 and 10 still play with the very sturdy metal tricycle I bought sooo long ago. It's the kind where one kid can stand on the back. They each have a mountain bike with 27 gears, but now and then they just have to pull out the old tricycle and do "tricks"